Signal tracking is one of the most demanding functions performed by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. In order to track incoming satellite navigation signals, a conventional receiver includes a plurality of correlators per tracking channel.
One reason a tracking channel may use a plurality of correlators is because GNSS signals are vulnerable to signal deformations, which can result in multi-path error. Some of these effects can be partially mitigated by proper design of the tracking loops, e.g., implementing a narrow correlator to reduce the effect of multipath error. Another reason a receiver may use plurality of correlators is to implement so called Binary Offset Carrier (BOC) modulation schemes. BOC modulated signals will have multiple peaks in their autocorrelation function, which can cause several false lock points for GNSS receiver tracking loops. Conventional implementations add extra correlators to the known false lock point offsets to detect if a false peak is being tracked.
Regardless of the particular reason why a designer chooses to include multiple correlators per tracking channel, the number of correlators used within a receiver has a direct impact on the power consumed by the receiver and the processing resources needed to implement the receiver. For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for systems and methods for a scanning correlator for global navigation satellite system signal tracking.